364: Natalia Arbelaez on activating ceramics through performance
Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Natalia Arbelaez. Her terracotta sculptures often involve figures interacting with one another or conveying emotion with their facial expressions. She draws from her Colombian family’s immigration story to tell a larger cultural history of hybridization that is a result of migration. In our interview we talk about activating ceramic objects through performance, and the research and art making she has been doing around artists of color in museum collections. To see examples of her work visit www.nataliaarbelaez.com. She is also one of the co-organizers of the Color Network, an organization founded to aid in the advancement of people of color in the ceramic arts. For more information visit www.thecolornetwork.org.
For her show Passages of Absence Natalia made ceramic objects that were used as tools within a larger performance piece. The images above and the video below show two ways of documenting the performance in very different ways. In our interview we talk about paying homage to both Miami club culture and the mythic El Dorado in her video piece El Dorado Ritual.
I want to give a shout out to KC Clay Guild for sponsoring this episode of the podcast. KC Clay Guild has been supporting ceramic artists and providing a space to explore clay in Kansas City, Missouri since 1988. The guild is accepting applications for their Artist-in-Residence Program until April 15th. This program is open to anyone who is looking to jump start their ceramics career. The guild has been upgrading their already well-equipped studio and will be adding a new Blaauw Gas kiln in 2021. Benefits include a private studio space, free firing, opportunities to teach, and an annual stipend. Check out www.kcclayguild.org/AIR to learn more.